DOWN TO EARTH

10.09.12

Baumgartner Aborts Space Jump

Joerg Mitter, Red Bull / AP Photo

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner will have to delay his attempt to break a new record by surviving a 23-mile free fall, after high winds aborted his launch. Baumgartner has spent five years training, and he planned to take off in a 55-story helium balloon headed to the stratosphere, where he would have made his 10 minute jump from 120,000 feet. But wind gusts moved the balloon around as it began to inflate, leading to the cancellation. An annoucer said, "This is going to be off for today ... They had the window for a short while. But the winds are a huge concern."